CarolinaLink ’s Post

"Vermont's broadband expansion receives national recognition" reads the Claremont, NH's Eagle Times' June 15, 2024 headline. "A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and Benton Institute for Broadband & Society gives a detailed and glowing review of Vermont’s Communications Union District (CUD) model of meeting the challenges of rural broadband. The 50-page report describes the history of the struggle for reliable internet service and shows how CUDs have become the solution. It starts with the state’s first CUD, ECFiber, and then profiles the nine CUDs that followed. CUD leaders, state officials, and VCBB Board Members were interviewed for the report, which also serves as a guide and suggests that other states or countries could benefit from a similar approach to rural broadband." Read the entire article with quotes from local officials. https://lnkd.in/enHx-QXd #ECFiber #CUDs #Vermont #localbroadband #communityowned

SUPPORTERS OF: The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 The bill was introduced by Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Reps. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Michael Lawler (R-NY-17), Marcus Molinaro (R-NY-19) and Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY-4). Over 400 organizations have endorsed the legislation representing industry, associations, community organizations, state and local government, and civil society. These include US Telecom, NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association, INCOMPAS, WTA - Advocates for Rural Broadband, Wireless Infrastructure Association, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Charter, Cox Communications, American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP, Communications Workers of America, and AFL-CIO. See the attached PDF list. Tell everyone to talk to their legislators. 22.5 million people may lose their ACP internet subsidy.

Internet access is a human right, and must be treated as the lifeline that it is. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ew-jWWQY

This is great news! The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) has the potential to help communities like ours bridge the digital divide. One notable positive difference between TBCP and earlier programs is that it allows funding for first mile (submarine cable landing stations) and middle mile (regional backhaul) as well as last mile (fiber to the premises). That’s essential because there are many places – including the Quinault Indian Nation – where it is a lack of first and/or middle mile connectivity that creates the digital divide. Unfortunately, TBCP still uses the old FCC definition of “broadband” – 25 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload. Those speeds are insufficient for many modern applications – a fact recognized by the new funding programs (including BEAD) that require funded projects to deliver 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. https://bit.ly/3vRD3YC

I am really excited to report that the Vermont Community Broadband Board has released the State of Vermont’s Digital Equity Plan, which was recently approved by NTIA. Vernonburg Group is proud to be supporting this effort. Just like every of state and territory in the US, far more people in Vermont are not signing up for home broadband services than there are people lacking access to broadband services. Closing the broadband availability gap is extremely important and, with ARPA, BEAD, and other support, states and territories, like Vermont, should have enough federal funds to close that gap, once and for all. States and territories also need to give equal attention and devote adequate funding to increasing broadband adoption rates through programs focused on digital equity and opportunity. Vermont’s plan is a critical step in that direction. #broadband #internetforall #digital equity #digitalequity #NTIA #VCBB Greg Guice Alexander Jeffery Breese McIlvaine Christine Hallquist Alissa Matthews Rob Fish Britaney W. Alexei Monsarrat Emily Keshap https://lnkd.in/e7NTrWdT https://lnkd.in/eJepxT53

As we continue to advocate, participate, and forge alliances; I believe we can steer government policy to better align with the growth and development of our region. I believe that. #governmentrelations

Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr told a House subcommittee this week that the Biden administration's handling of the BEAD program has been hampered by excessive bureaucracy, mismanagement and the prioritizing of political goals over effective broadband deployment. See the story from Wireless Estimator. "Carr concluded his testimony by calling for significant reforms to the BEAD program. He emphasized the need for a streamlined process focused on practical implementation rather than political goals. 'Absent major reforms, the Biden Administration’s implementation of this $42 billion BEAD program is wired to fail,' Carr warned. He urged the administration to prioritize connecting Americans over advancing a political agenda and to simplify the program’s bureaucratic requirements." #broadband #infrastructure #construction #HighSpeedInternet #BroadbandForAll #FiberBroadband #broadbandinternet #connectivity #governmentrelations #broadbandaccess #criticalinfrastructure #EconomicImpact #PCCA https://lnkd.in/ejkhcMfd

The digital divide is a huge, multi-faceted problem in America. Not only is solving this issue going to take a lot of resources, but it also requires a ton of coordination. Reallocating funding to a program that could make better use of it might not be such a bad idea. The Affordable Connectivity Program has already provided millions of dollars in grants directly to states and households; hopefully, Congress can efficiently reroute this money to the FCC. #FCC #AffordableConnectivityProgram #BroadbandAccess #DigitalDivide

Why should your town consider public broadband? At the end of the day, it comes down to the primary purpose of reflecting community-focused priorities over profit. Check our handbook to see if public broadband is right for your community. https://lnkd.in/gC-sAWr4